Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Resigns After Election Defeats
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has announced his resignation after less than a year in office, following two major election defeats. His decision comes a day before the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was set to decide whether to hold a leadership vote that could have forced him out. The LDP, which has dominated Japanese politics for most of the past seven decades, lost its majority in the lower house for the first time in 15 years, followed by a loss of its upper house majority in July. The setback has left Japan, the world’s fourth-largest economy and a key US ally, facing political uncertainty at a time of rising tensions with China and regional insecurity. Ishiba said the timing was appropriate after concluding a deal with the United States to ease tariffs on Japanese cars and other exports. He […]